If you can't get enough of Microsoft Flight Simulator, you're not alone. The
Flight Simulator community includes thousands of individuals, organizations, and
companies that share your passion for aviation. When you're ready to make your
hours in the Flight Simulator cockpit even more rewarding, explore some of the
suggestions below.

Flight Simulator News

Flight Simulator News is the best place to start browsing for updated Flight
Simulator-related information and products. Click the News link on the
left side of your screen.

Virtual Airlines

Once you've earned your wings in Flight Simulator and perhaps moved up
through the ranks of Commercial and Airline Transport Pilot ratings in Flying
Lessons, you may be ready for a new challenge: flying for a virtual airline. If
you've always wondered what it would be like to be an airline pilot, this is
your chance to find out. More than 100 virtual airlines operate on the Web, and
usually becoming a pilot for one of them is simply a matter of signing up and
successfully completing their training.

Each airline has its own style and emphasis. Some specialize in cargo
operations, while others fly passengers. Some virtual airlines fly the latest
glass-cockpit jetliners on routes that span continents and oceans, while others
fly beat-up bush planes on island-hopping charter routes.

Virtual airline training programs vary; some include elaborate and realistic
exercises. So, if you're looking to learn the most from your virtual airline
pilot career, select a virtual airline with the most extensive training program
possible. Some training programs are even designed by certified flight
instructors. If you return your training aircraft undamaged, chances are you'll
be welcomed into the fleet.

Once on board, you'll download the airline's aircraft, scenery, and training
materials, and then use Flight Simulator to complete your assigned flights.
You'll send reports of your flights back to the airline and work your way
through different ratings, aircraft, and routes.

Virtual Career Advice

You'll likely begin your virtual airline career flying smaller
aircraft before moving up to the big jets, just like in the real world.
Because it takes time to move up through the ranks, you need to choose a
virtual airline that will likely stay around. To get an idea of a
virtual airline's longevity, it helps to investigate.

Look at the training program, the routes the airline flies, and
the requirements to maintain your active pilot status.

Get a feel for how the airline is organized and managed.

Download some of the airline's aircraft and take them for test
flights.

Participating in most virtual airlines is free, although some charge a small
fee. The virtual airline community on the Web is growing rapidly: new airlines
pop up most every day, and a number of organizations are taking leadership roles
within the community by providing enthusiasts with news, airline directories,
and bulletin boards.

Add-Ons

Amateur and professional software developers all over the world have created
easy-to-install products that can enhance your Flight Simulator experience.
Check the shelves of your local computer store, and be sure to search the Web
for downloadable add-ons (many are freeware or shareware). The Flight Simulator
Web site maintains links to sites with downloadable aircraft.

If you enjoy flying a variety of aircraft, add-ons offer literally thousands
to choose from. There are also add-on avionics packages that simulate the latest
display and navigation technology, and specialized scenery areas that make the
Flight Simulator world even more realistic. A few add-ons even enable Flight
Simulator pilots to fly together in a radar-controlled environment over the
Internetówith real people acting as air traffic controllers. Or you can create
your own add-ons with utilities that let you build your own aircraft, panels,
scenery, and adventures.

Your Desktop Cockpit

If you want to make your desktop seem more like the cockpit of a real
airplane, add some hardware. The options range from full desktop consoles with
working switches down to the basics: a joystick or a yoke and rudder pedals. You
can find these accessories at many computer stores and online.

Rudder Pedals

Real-world pilots fly using their hands and feet. Plug in a pair of rudder
pedals to your computer, and you'll find that you have much greater control over
the simulated aircraft you fly. The coordinated use of rudder and aileron when
making turns will become more intuitive, and you'll become a better pilot both
on and off-screen. Rudder pedals are especially useful if you enjoy flying
helicopters.

Pilot Supplies

As a Flight Simulator pilot, you'll find many real-world pilot supplies
useful. Find a local flight school or pilot's shop in the phone book, and then
head over to see what they have. Someone there will be glad to show you around.
(And they'll probably try to sign you up for flying lessons, too!) Maybe you'll
become a student pilot; maybe you'll just walk out with an armload of aviation
toys. Either way, it will have been a trip worth making.

If you'd rather do your shopping from the comfort of home, a number of
well-known pilot supply companies do business on the Web. Search the Web for
"pilot's shop." While you're shopping, take a look at the aviation
charts (some stores even give them away when they're out-of-date), calculators,
course plotters, and radio scanners. Most stores also stock a supply aviation
books on subjects such as aircraft and aircraft systems, weather, navigation,
communications, training, and other topics that Flight Simulator pilots will
appreciate.

Fly for Real

Flight Simulator is a simulation and a training aid all rolled into one
package. Many Flight Simulator enthusiasts go on to become licensed pilots, and
many pilots (both recreational and professional) fire up Flight Simulator to
have fun and practice their skills. It's not unusual these days for a new
student to arrive at the airport for a first flight lesson already knowing about
control towers, stalls, and the horizontal component of lift.

Flight Simulator provides a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere where pilots can
learn and practice the fundamentals of visual and instrument flying, including:

Operating flight and engine controls

Using and interpreting flight instruments

Using navigational aids

Flying in an airport environment

Flying solely by reference to instruments

Understanding and managing system failures

Student pilots using Flight Simulator can isolate specific tasks and focus on
them without the distractions and complexities of flying a real aircraft in busy
airspace. Instructors can use Flight Simulator as an interactive tool for pre-
and post-flight demonstrations, as well as for classroom presentations.
Instructors find the ability to save specific situations as flights, record and
play back "videos" of Flight Simulator flights, and induce failures
particularly useful. Keep in mind, however, that although Flight Simulator makes
a great complement to flight training, it's not a substitute for instruction
from a Certified Flight Instructor and is not part of an approved training
program under the standards of the FAA or any other regulatory authority.